No honeymoon period, Greece PM tells new cabinet

Euronews

The new Greek prime minister says his coalition government will have no honeymoon period and its goal is to pull what he calls the “traumatised” country out of the crisis.

Antonis Samaras said ministers would take a 30 percent pay cut and told them to use government cars as little as possible.

He outlined the priorities at the first cabinet meeting: “It’s basically to work together, and achieve things, make everyone realise we mean business, implement what we say, and at the same time try and help these people who are going through unbelievably bad times.”

The new cabinet was sworn in on Thursday evening. It is dominated by the conservative New Democracy party, whose coalition partners from the socialists and moderate left have contributed party officials but not MPs.

The government has pledged to revise the terms of Greece’s bailout without endangering its future in the euro.